Exhibition illuminates parallel stories of Warhol and his ‘first superstar’

Exhibit focuses on longtime friend Baby Jane Holzer

Let’s ask Eric Shiner, director of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. He ranks her in the top five of Warhol’s intimates. “She was true family,” he said.

To Jane, Love Andy: Warhol’s First Superstar at the Norton Museum explores that connection and offers an insider’s view into the most innovative period of Warhol’s career.

Exhibition organizer Cheryl Brutvan knew, before she joined the Norton in 2008, that Holzer was one of the celebrity pals who congregated at The Factory, Warhol’s studio in New York.

But with Holzer living just across the bridge in Palm Beach, Brutvan was motivated to dig deeper into her story.

“It became a quest to understand why she had that reputation, how it started and what it meant,” said Brutvan, the Norton’s contemporary-art curator and director of curatorial affairs.

Holzer was moved by the exhibition, which brought Warhol back to life in exhibits such as a 1965 BBC film in which Susan Sontag interviewed the artist.

“I’m so happy,” Holzer said. “Seeing these pictures of Andy right now — it makes me feel good.”

Warhol and Holzer met in 1963 and remained friends until his death in 1987. Her association with The Factory was far briefer, however. She backed away in the mid-1960s, disturbed by the reckless behavior of some of Warhol’s circle.

After Warhol was shot in 1968 and he became more circumspect about the company he kept, their friendship warmed up again.

When they met, Holzer was a rising fashion model who had recently been discovered by Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland. Warhol was struggling to be recognized as a serious artist.

The Warhol Museum’s Shiner said, “She was rich, beautiful, famous and fun. It was as though he were a magpie and she the shiny object.”

The show includes memorabilia of Holzer’s years as a top model, including spreads that appeared in Vogue and other magazines; photographs of her by Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst and David Bailey; and ensembles by Yves Saint Laurent, Paco Rabanne and Coco Chanel.

Warhol captured Holzer’s attention when he asked her if she wanted to be in a movie — a cherished dream of hers. Warhol’s movies weren’t anything like Hollywood productions. Typically, they were black and white, deadpan and plotless.

Among the many films in the exhibition are the Screen Tests. Warhol made 472 short silent films known as Screen Tests between 1964 and 1966. Holzer appeared in 10; eight are in the exhibition. Subjects sat face forward, centered in the camera and endured its unrelenting scrutiny for three minutes.

Warhol extended the films to 4½ minutes by projecting them at a slower speed.

Warhol produced much of his most innovative art during the years when Holzer frequented The Factory. Said Shiner, “The 1960s were by far the richest production of his entire life.”

Holzer recalls that Warhol was working on his flower paintings when she paid her first visit to The Factory. A photograph by Billy Name shows Holzer looking at the paintings when they were displayed during Warhol’s first exhibition at Leo Castelli’s gallery in 1964.

The exhibition also includes examples from his Car Crash and Electric Chair series, Brillo boxes, and portraits of Jackie Kennedy and Liz Taylor. Augmenting these are behind-the-scenes photographs of life at The Factory.

Holzer’s story follows a parallel course. We see her in a David McCabe photograph partying with Mick Jagger in the mid-1960s. Her forays into producing and performing are documented in ephemera such as playbills, magazine stories, and a 1966 video of her singing on the musical variety show Hullabaloo.

But the exhibition always comes back to their friendship. In the 1970s, Warhol captured Polaroid images of Holzer at play and created a quartet of portraits of her. The wall text informs us that Holzer spoke to him in the hospital the day before he died.

If You Go

What: “To Jane, Love Andy: Warhol’s First Superstar”

When: Through May 25

Where: Norton Museum, 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach

For information: Call 832-5196 or visit norton.org

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